Wood-Burning Stoves Remain Viable

By Soy Sophea

In these days of microwave ovens and fast food, wood-burning stove makers remain enthusiastic about their product as sales increase. In the current economic climate, a little wood-burning stove has a big reputation as it can reduce cooking expenses by up to 30 percent. The French organization GERES (Groupe Energies Renouvelables Environment et Solidarités) has been preaching the benefits of this type of stove in Cambodia since 1997.

Khouern Pom, 57, with over 20 years experience in making traditional stoves, said that his business increased after he attended GERES courses. There he learned how to make a viable little product even more efficient and now he is selling upwards of 1,000 units per month.

“I can make around ten million riel per month selling these stoves. This is a massive increase over the course of the decade,” the stove maker told the Cambodia Weekly during a telephone interview.

Pom, whose product is well known the length and breadth of Battambang province, explained that his products are so popular because they save the owner money every time they are used; consuming up to 30 percent less energy than older stoves, they are much more cost effective than any of the alternatives. Better still, they do not produce as much CO2 as the older models.

“I am happy to see my countrymen buy these new stoves because each customer walks away from my shop with a guarantee of savings and overall value for money,” he said.
Yem Koeurn, the owner of three stove-making factories in Kampong Chhnang province, has increased production to around 4,000 to 5,000 stoves per month during this rainy season. He said during the dry season, he made about 6,000 stoves. He added that the rapid increase in sales was due to the widespread acceptance of lessons learned from GERES.

“I appreciate this business as there is never an idle moment in my two stove-making factories. The only problem is that demand is running far ahead of supply and we can’t make enough of the stoves to keep everybody happy,” he said.

The Cambodia Fuel-Wood Saving Project (CFSP) was started in 1997 out of the need for coordinated action to shape a wood-burning energy policy. The initial work focused on Kampong Chhnang province as researchers assessed the technological and socio-economic issues surrounding a wood-based energy policy.

“We have engaged in a wide range of research and training activities to reduce the consumption of wood in Cambodia and focused in particular on fuel efficiency to improve the performance of the charcoal manufacturing processes and effectiveness of the stoves that burn it,” according to Mao Ratha, Human Resource, Administration and Logistics Manager of GERES.

Ratha said that his team seeks collaboration with other organizations involved with wood energy issues to bring about coordinated action and a unified national wood energy policy.

He continued, “One of the aims of phase two of our four-year program is to talk to the heads of 150,000 households to encourage them to adopt these improved stoves. This program would lead to a total saving of 2,210,000 tones of wood and the creation of about 90 jobs over a ten year period.”

Sek Sambath, a stove user in Battambang province, said that he has used the improved stove for the last three years and is well qualified to describe its advantages, not the least of which is a 5,000 Riel saving on monthly cooking expenses. The 35-year-old said the new stoves cost less than the older models and urged all Cambodians living in rural areas to take advantage of the savings.

According to GERES research, a household that depends on sugar palm production consumes the most wood. Introducing significant improvements to the efficiency of the stoves will reduce the amount of wood energy used. Studies indicate that use of improved stoves can cut Cambodia’s consumption of charcoal by 40 percent, or about 23,000 tones per year. Given Cambodia’s reliance on wood energy, reducing the nation’s consumption of wood & charcoal will move the country nearer to sustainable use of its fuel wood resources.

During phase one of their work, GERES, working in conjunction with CFSP and CEDAC (Centre d’Etude et de Développment Agriole Cambodgien) drew together 18 other institutions interested in wood energy issues, forming the Wood Energy Network of Cambodia. Through this network CFSP representatives were able to train 58 ICS (Improved Cook-stove) technicians and over 100 extension workers. 18,000 improved cook-stoves were introduced to the target communities resulting in a saving of 37,500tones of firewood each year and a 53,000 ton reduction in CO2 emissions.

CFSP representatives have set up a laboratory in Phnom Penh where stove designs can be developed. Here the new models are tested to destruction and monitored to assess their consumption and CO2 emissions. This data enables the organization to design ovens that provide the greatest fuel efficiency. In addition, a basic field laboratory has been devised to enable the production centers to test their stoves. This is backed up by extensive field research to confirm the fact that there are happier, wealthier and healthier customers at the end of the supply chain.

Hoeung Chuntheang, GERES’s quality control Manager noted that CFSP has been very successful in promoting the improved cook-stoves, primarily through their work with domestic stove producers. He added that once the producers understand the benefits of the stoves and know how to manufacture them, it is an easy matter to distribute these stoves using existing commercial channels.

“The economic benefits to the end users, middlemen and the producers maintain the stove's popularity over the long term,” he said.